Youthful Uzumaki
by THEBUB
Summary: Naruto graduates on his first effort from the Academy, and as such he joins a completely different team!
1. Intro Part 1

Naruto could barely believe it. He'd passed the Academy Exam to be a Genin, first try! He was incredibly excited to meet his Jounin-Sensei, whoever that may be. All he knew right now is that he had a good feeling about tomorrow.

Naruto was dead-tired. A lot had happened the night previous, such as him learning about the Nine-Tails, him stealing the scroll back from one of his old sensei, Mizuki... it was almost not worth learning Shadow Clone Jutsu. Almost.

He rolled out of bed after finding he couldn't go back to sleep, getting dressed as he prepared for the day. He almost put his goggles on, when he smiled after remembering that he had his headband. He had earned that headband by his own skill, not by anyone's trying to make him a weapon... right?

Brushing those thoughts aside, Naruto finished getting dressed. He went off to the Academy once more to meet his Jounin-Sensei.

To say the least, he was impressed, disturbed, and disappointed at the same time.

Naruto was teamed up with the weapons-specialist, Tenten, and the chakra-deficient Taijutsu Specialist-in-the-making Rock Lee. That wasn't the bad part, really. Rock Lee was a pretty noble guy, and Tenten was just kinda quiet and in the background as of now.

What got him was their Sensei.

Might Gai, the apparent "Sublime Green Beast of Konoha", was so over-the-top melodramatic that Naruto couldn't help but try to get him to shut up. The man was unperturbed, his green jumpsuit and Jounin vest only adding to the haunting image still in Naruto's mind. Rock Lee had apparently already met Gai, and was already lost to his "flames of youth" ideals. Tenten was apparent confused and amused at the same time.

Gai told them to meet him at the training grounds in an hour, and they all agreed. They left, Naruto noticing only three Genin being left- one of them being Neji Hyuuga.

Shrugging, Naruto went off to the training grounds as Gai had told him to.

Might Gai was an interesting character. He spouted about "the power of the flames of youth" one moment, then got all serious and demanded to know "your ambitions in life". Naruto blinked before Rock Lee nearly burst out into his ambition.

"I want to be a splendid ninja even though I can use only Taijutsu! That is my dream and ambition!"

Rock Lee gave an eerily gleaming smile to everyone, who grew slightly concerned for him (not Gai, of course). Tenten went next.

"My ambition is to become a legendary kunoichi, like Tsunade of the Sannin! Failing that, I'll become a legendary kunoichi in my own right!"

Then all the eyes turned to Naruto. He had been pretty quiet, which was strange for him.

"My dream is to become the best ninja in Konoha, the Hokage. I know that path is a long one, and I doubt I won't need help. I will get there one day though! Believe it!"

Might Gai nodded at all this, and smiled. "Alright! You have proclaimed your ambitions. Now test your commitment to them!" He flipped backward and drops into a stance as he lands. "Come! Let us have a spar! Show me the power of your youth!"

With the spar over, and the poor Genin of Team Gai (as their sensei wished to call the team this) were heavily bruised and battered from their... ahem, "spar". Might Gai grinned, not wounded or tired in the least. "Good job everyone! Let us meet here tomorrow for team training, and from every day forward!"

Naruto groaned. This was going to be a long road to Hokage.


	2. Intro Part 2

Two months later.

"Another D-Rank?! C'mon, old man, we can handle way tougher missions than that! Give us a C-rank at least!"

Naruto, Tenten, Rock Lee (who was now sporting a bowl-cut and a green jumpsuit like Gai) and their Sensei were reporting in for their first mission of the day. The past two months had been nothing but back-breaking training, including a ten-mile run every morning around the training grounds (with weights!) and a horrifying amount of sparring with Rock Lee.

Taijutsu-wise, Lee was the best out of the three Genin. Second in that department was Tenten, and finally there was Naruto. Having not had a proper style in the first place, he had faltered at the thought of becoming predictable in place of power and speed. This cost him much progress. However, with a helpful tip from Gai about how his Shadow Clone Jutsu could be used to practice the chosen style's kata, he soon rocketed in understanding.

Naruto's chosen style was the Devastating Fist. The idea was simple enough, hit hard and don't give the opponent a chance to recover or land a hit. However, putting that idea into practice was incredibly difficult, especially against Lee. Lee could practically dance around Naruto's attacks with seeming ease.

Tenten's chosen style was more of a Bukijutsu style than Taijutsu. It had no real name, as it was a new style altogether. She would unfurl scrolls and use the Unsealing Technique to send forth hundreds of kunai and shuriken (among other weapons) to attack her enemy. It was an effective style, save for a point made by Gai. "You must be prepared for anything, such as wide-range Wind Release or Earth Release jutsu. Prepare a back-up plan for when this might not be effective." Tenten took this to heart immediately.

Rock Lee was using Gai's style, the Strong Fist. It was similar to the Devastating Fist, simply less focused on all-out attack and far more balanced. He had tons more experience with Taijutsu than the other two Genin, so he was already far ahead of them.

Back in present day, the Third Hokage chuckled as Naruto's old sensei, Iruka, berated him about being respectful and waiting graciously. "Aw, but we've done, what, thirty of these D-Rank missions now? That's gotta at least give us a C-Rank!" Naruto sighed as he was berated once more by Iruka before the man was cut off by the Hokage.

"I believe Naruto is right. You will get your first C-Rank mission." Naruto whooped in excitement. "You are to escort a refugee from the Hidden Mist back." The Hokage turned serious for a moment. "Stay on the path to the Hidden Mist. Do not, under any circumstances, stray from the path."

Naruto nodded in understanding, as did the rest of Team Guy.

"Alright then. You are to meet the refugee at the main gate in about two hours. Good luck."


	3. Hidden Mist Part 1

**Author's Note: I understand I that a formatting error has occurred on my part. I have fixed it, and have added a disclaimer to the first chapter.**

 **(please don't kill me)**

 **Now, onto the story!**

* * *

 _ **On the road with Team Gai**_

"Uuuugh! Who knew C-Rank missions would be so boring! C'mon, let's see some action!" Naruto had been complaining for some time after they had set out from Konoha. Their client wished to have the man only known as the Kame-Sennin back as soon as possible, who had been deathly silent the entire time. Naruto began complaining shortly after leaving and realizing that traveling meant little action most of the time.

Rock Lee had been talking with Gai almost the entire time, while Tenten had been focusing on the Sennin. She tried to start conversations every so often, to which the Turtle Sage refused to reply. Soon Tenten found herself focusing more on her fuinjutsu studies, trying to figure out the more complex seal array bases.

Only Gai and Lee noticed that the Sage was gone in time to start chasing the surprisingly agile man back up the path to Konoha. Naruto and Tenten scrambled to catch up, arriving to the site of capture just in time to see the Sennin get caught by Gai. The man seemed oddly panicked, and the Genin were heavily confused as to why.

After tying the Sage to himself with a strong rope, Gai led the team back down the road.

"Hey, Bushy-Brows-Sensei, why'd that guy act so weird just now? We're taking him back to his home, so why's he running back to Konoha?" Gai's brows, while considerable in their bushiness, did not furrow at the name. They furrowed for another reason.

"Well, you see, the Hidden Mist is in a war right now," Gai started. Naruto immediately questioned this. "With who, and why?" Gai frowned. "From what we know, it is at war with itself. The Mizukage, after a year of benevolence, decided to exterminate all Kekkei Genkai in his country." Tenten gave a small gasp, while Lee frowned. Naruto was still confused, though. "What's a Kekkei Genkai? Is that a bad guy?" Gai shook his head. "No. Kekkei Genkai, or Bloodline Limit, is a special ability that people are born with, much like the Hyuuga Clan's Byakugan. It is something out of one's control to possess, and hunting people for it is cruel beyond measure."

"Which is exactly why I refuse to return." All eyes turned to the Kame-Sennin. The man had a deeply sorrowful look on his face, and eyes that had seen many horrors. "I first came to Konoha to request aid for the Mist Rebellion, but the Hokage refused. To maintain order and to prevent the Hidden Mist from aligning themselves against you, he classified me as a refugee. I gave my name to him, but you four have not earned the right to know my name as of yet. Especially you, blondie. You need to learn to shut up and pay attention to your surroundings." With that, the Sage fell silent.

"So that's why the Hokage told us to stay on the path outlined to us... so we wouldn't get caught in a fight we couldn't handle," Tenten reasoned. "B-But why? It is dishonorable to run from responsibilities such as this, isn't it?" Lee was conflicted, and looked to Gai for answers. Gai had none. "We have to continue with our mission, team. I am sorry, Kame-san." Gai began walking somberly, with the Sage and Genin following.

Naruto was quiet from then on.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Thank you for reading thus far! I hope I continue to grasp your attention (though honestly I'm surprised I've done it this long).**

 **Please leave a review with feedback! Thanks!**


	4. Hidden Mist Part 2

**Author's Note: I need to set an updating schedule, so here's what I'm going to do:**

 **My updates will happen every two weeks, usually on a Friday. If I feel the need to update beforehand, I will do so. If I am late, I will likely throw in a** **bonus chapter** **for you guys! I like to keep ahead by a few chapters just in case anyway, so it shouldn't be a problem.**

 **Oh, and each update should have at least three chapters.**

 **Enjoy!**

 _ **With Team Gai, four days later**_

Naruto was feeling a tremendous amount of guilt about taking the Kame-Sennin back to the Hidden Mist. He knew, after thinking about it for a while, that the Mizukage would likely execute the man for treason. Naruto tried to think of ways to get around the mission parameters, but couldn't. He wasn't quite book-smart enough to do so, and that frustrated him.

Before he could think of anything more, Naruto and the rest of Team Gai were stopped by a skirmish opening before them. Two shinobi were fighting, throwing shuriken and punches. Each of them were wearing a headband for the opposite side of the civil war. Three other shinobi, probably Genin, arrived behind the taller of the two.

The taller shinobi glanced at the tensed up group of Konoha ninja and Kame Sennin. "Hm? More friends of yours, scum?" Naruto snarled. "Hey! No one here's scum besides you, you bastard!" The man's brows furrowed in anger. "You watch your mouth, brat!" Naruto simply fumed in anger. "I'm not just a brat! I'll show you! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu! (Shadow Clone Technique!)" In puffs of smoke, ten other Narutos sprung to life.

Unfortunately, two of them had already popped. The taller man had begun attacking already, which made the three enemy Genin (and the rest of Team Gai) spring into action as well.

The remaining Narutos began to retaliate, turning 'round to begin delivering swift punches and kicks to the man attacking them. Unfortunately, just like with Rock Lee, the attacks all missed as the man dodged with astonishing ease. Growing ever more frustrated, Naruto retreated.

"Bushy-Brows Sensei! This guy seems to be about your level! Give me a hand, would ya?" Almost immediately, a fist slammed into the tall man's face. "You take care of the Genin, Naruto. Lee's got the Sage." Naruto nodded and rallied his clones, and began to attack the poor Genin.

With a swift pummeling (that, for once, didn't miss at all), Naruto stood atop the last Genin. "Well, that was almost underwhelming..." Naruto then looked up at the Rebellion Nin sitting in the tree by the road. "Why didn't you fight? You probably coulda whooped the Genin at least..." The woman shrugged. "I could've. But I needed to know who I was fighting first. You seem to be Konoha ninja of decent caliber, so I assume you're coming back with the Kame Sennin to aid us?"

Gai came over, done walloping the poor man to unconsciousness. "Well, technically, our mission was to get him to the Mizukage. Since Mist Nin attacked us, well, we can't really continue the mission." Naruto looked confused. "So what do we do now?"

"What better thing to do," Gai replied, "than help a noble cause?"

 **And that's the end of that! If you're wondering why I chose the two week update schedule, it's due to the fact I've got a lot of stuff going on, especially with school. I will try my best to keep on track, and may even bump up the chapter length as the story progresses.**

 **And now, Reviews!**

 **HJSDGCE: Thank you for the review! It helps when I get feedback, and it really warms my heart to see my story is good enough to be followed at all. The centered words are more to do with my kind of style, so I'm probably going to stick to that.**

 **If any of you guys have suggestions or feedback, please leave it in a review! Thank you!**


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